


ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER

by StarWars1977



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 01:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5723614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarWars1977/pseuds/StarWars1977
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Han Solo is working on his starship THE MILLENNIUM FALCON (as usual)<br/>and needs a special part, so he persuades Princess Leia to go get it for him,<br/>with SURPRISING results.</p>
            </blockquote>





	ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER

ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER

The claw-spanner slipped and caught Han Solo's fingers in a vise-like grip. The Corellian winced and dropped the tool, catching the scraped fingers between his 

lips in a futile effort to ease the pain and nurse the wounds, thereby muffling the blast of curses he uttered.

Rubbing his aching fingers, Han peered into the closed area in which he had been working atop the FALCON. A glint caught his eye and he reached in to retrieve

the broken part.

"So..THAT'S what gave way." He muttered, eyeing the jagged piece closely.

Voices broke his concentration; he looked over the edge of the hull to see Leia talking with three rebel techs. Momentairily, the techs left to carry out their assigned tasks.

"Hey...your Majesty," He called.

The Princess surveyed the empty bay area round her as the echo faded in the cavernous docking bay.

"Up here." The voice instructed.

She looked up to see the smuggler leaning over the edge of his ship.

"What do you want?" Leia answered curtly, obviously her mood was not the best.

Han made his way down the access ladder so they could speak face-to-face.

"Would you do me a favor?" Han asked.

"A favor?" She responded, extremely skeptical, not to mention wary.

"It's really important. I just broke a very vital part while working on the FALCON, and I need a replacement as soon as possible." He held up the piece for Leia to see.

It didn't look very vital to her. "I'm no errand person, " she retorted, "go get it yourself.'

"I can't", he explained patiently, "I have to keep pressure on the broken end, or the whole system'll freeze up. Chewie isn't here or I'd ask him to do it. It won't take but a minute-- the guys in

Supply'll have the part."

"You're not keeping pressure on it now..." she challenged.

"I've got the tool case on it , but it won't hold for long." Han explained.

The Princess eyed him dubiously. He seemed sincere enough, but.....She sighed, "Oh, all right!" She snatched the bit of metal from his hand.

Han smiled and climbed back up the ladder, calling back over his shoulder, "Just ask for a 'doffel-mor'.

Leia mouthed the word and shrugged.

***************************************************************************************************

"Jorin, I need a new piece like this, a 'doffel-mor'". Leia placed the broken object she'd taken from Han on the counter of the Supply room service desk.

The female clerk examined the part closely, "I've never seen anything like this. Where did you get it? It sure didn't come off any X-wing."

The Princess cleared her throat, "It didn't. It came from Captain Solo's freighter."

The clerk shook her head. "I don't have anything like this."

"Can you order one?" Leia asked.

"No. There won't be any more orders going out. All the ships that were damaged during the Death Star fight have already been repaired, and

everything's packed up for shipment to Hoth."

Leia looked up in surprise; "How did you know we were relocating to Hoth?"

Jorin shrugged, "Word gets around."

"What am I going to do, then? Han -- er..Captain Solo said this piece is very important to the operation of his ship."

"You might try Donley in engineering," The woman suggesteed, "Sorry I couldn't help."

************************************************************

Making her way to the generator room through the maze of people, equipment, barricades and partitions, Leia toyed with the broken piece in the palm of her hand.

"Good afternoon, your Highness." 

She was greeted by an aide as she entered the roaring power supply area. "Can I help you?"

She grimmaced at the deafening noise and shouted, "Is Donley around?" 

The aide pointed to the enclosed control room. Leia nodded in acknowledgement and skirted her way around leg-thick cables to the booth. Closing the door behind her,

she was surprised that the roaring could be reduced to a mere hum.

"What brings you to this part of the base, your Highness?" Engineer Donley asked, rising from the control panel as she entered.

Leia regained her composure and opened her hand to expose the metal component, "I need a part like this."

The engineer took it and looked it over carefully, "I've never seen anything like this". He said.

"I've heard that before", Leia commented. "Do you know where I might find a replacement part like it?".

"Did you try Supply?" Donley suggested, returning the part.

"They sent me to you." Leia explained.

Donley thought for a moment, scratching his chin , "You might try Maintenance. They might have something like it."

Leia began to fume inwardly. This search that Han said would take 'but a minute' was beginning to take up more and more of her time. Still, she spoke graciously, thanking the

Engineer on her way out.

As she stepped over the snaking, twisting power cables on her way to Maintenance, the put-upon Princess heard her name called.

"Leia...Leia! Wait up!" She stopped, and saw an eager, young, Luke Skywalker hurrying in her direction. Tapping an impatient toe, she waited for him to reach her before she moved on.

"Where are you rushing off to?" Luke asked, following.

"I'm running an errand for Han." She expained through gritted teeth.

"What?!" Luke look both puzzled and surprised.

Once again, she produced the broken part from her hand. "He needs a new 'doffel-mor' for the FALCON, " she explained, "He can't leave the ship 'till he's got, it so I'm doing him a favor

and trying to find one for him. I've been to Supply and Engineering, but they don't have anything like it so I'm going to Maintenance."

They started down the hall and found the Maintenance desk. Leia waited patiently while the person in charge finished his work on a large piece of machinery. The gruff rebel set aside the

bulky device, and wiping his greasy hands on an equally greasy rag asked, "What can I do for you?"

"I need a 'doffel-mor'" Leia told him.

"There's no such thing." He said off-handedly.

"It"s like this." She handed the part to the older man.

Bushy eyebrows raised as he eyed the metal skeptically. "Where did this come from?"

"From Captain Solo's ship, the MILLENNIUM FALCON." Leia responded.

The man laid the piece on the shop table, shaking his head, "Everything that pirate has on that broken down scrap heap he calls a ship is either outdated, obsolete or

'modified', as he calls it." He told her matter of factly.

Luke laughed in spite of himself, "That's Han's ship alright."

Leia gave a deep sigh and retrieved the piece.

"Let's see if we can find Chewbacca," Luke suggested, "Maybe he knows where to find a replacement. He does a lot of work on the FALCON, too."

"Why not." Leia agreed. "I've tried everything else."

******************************************************************************

After combing nearly the entire base, Leia thought she'd explode with impatience before they happened upon Chewbacca, who was talking with a couple of new Rebel recruits.

"Chewie, " Luke called, "We need your help."

The Wookiee barked encouragement. Leia nodded to the speechless recruits as she handed the piece to him. "I've looked everywhere for another 'doffel-mor' to replace that one," She explained.

Han said he needs it desperately to finish fixing the FALCON. Can you help me find one?"

A low rumble of laughter shook the huge Wookiee as he pawed the object. Then, he turned to one of the recruits and woofed a reply, which the young man translated.

"Chewbacca says to tell you that isn't a special part. It's nothing but a piece off a broken sinch-bolt. There are hundreds of these in the FALCON'S tool cache -- but

there's no such thing as a 'doffel-mor'."

Luke was impressed with the Rebel's ability to translate the Wookiee's language. He watched the Princesses' face turn a dozen shades of red as she absorbed what Chewbacca had said.

She was very nearly unable to speak.

"You mean that....lousy.....no good....stuck-up... son of a ... .... sent me on a...a.....a!!!! " The furious Alderanni paced in front of the group, clinch-fisted and ready for battle.

"Just WAIT 'till I get my hands on that....I'll tell him exactly....He can't make a fool out of me and get away with it!!!" She stomped off toward the docking bays.

Luke and Chewbacca followed at a respectful distance. They weren't going to miss THIS confrontation, though they had enough sense to stay out of the line of fire. Behind them, the recruits

whispered among themselves. In their brief association with the Alliance, they'd already heard rumors of how things stood between the Princess and Captain Solo, but now, they

had an opportunity to see, first hand, for themselves. They followed Luke and Chewbacca at an even more respectful distance. Curious techs, pilots, aides and other workers glanced at the entourage 

as they passed. The Princess muttered to herself continually and exhibited graphic examples with her hands of what she'd do to that obstinate Corellian.

In the docking bay, Han heard the echo of approaching footsteps and roused from his comfortable cat-napping position on the FALCON'S hull.

'HAN SOLO!!!!! GET YOURSELF DOWN HERE...RIGHT NOW!!!!!"

"Why, Leia," he said patronizingly as he followed orders. "You sound upset. Couldn't you find that part?" Innocense shadowed his features as he stood to face the irate Princess.

"Couldn't I find......." She sputtered, begining to pace as her anger was refuled. Han glanced at Luke, Chewie and the recruits who were smiling at the side of the bay.

"There's no such thing, " she began poking Han in the chest, " as a 'doffel-mor'....and YOU KNOW IT!" She roared. "Chewie told me what it was!" She paused to catch her breath

and Han feigned an air of betrayal toward his partner, who snorted at this false, playful display.

"You wasted my valuable time and flaunted the authority of my position!" Leia went on while Han leaned against the ship, shutting out the rest of her diatribe.

She finished with both a promise and a threat, "One day, I'll get even. When you least expect it, or think I've forgoten it --- and in a way you wouldn't dream of! You'll

never see it coming, Solo!" She turned on her heels and left without another word.

Luke ambled over to the totally unrepentant smuggler.

"She means it, you know." He referred to the Princess' last words."

Han straightened, "I hope so," he replied with a wicked, self-satisfied grin. " At least I'll KNOW she'll be thinking about me."


End file.
